As cases of the coronavirus continue to rise across the world, everyone’s collective anxiety about the virus is going up. Actress Anna Kendrick tried to add some levity to the serious situation with a joke she tweeted.
“Authority figures talking about how face touching is so dangerous and unclean. Like, are you TRYING to make it my new fetish?” she wrote.
Kendrick was referring to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s recommendation that people “Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.”
Don't touch your face said the CDC….. pic.twitter.com/bmPCwE2zlV
— Ken Dickenson (@Soonersfan1) March 6, 2020
It was her first tweet in nearly a month, and fans were happy to hear from her.
“Honestly you’re the ONLY person that is allowed to be mia for so long and come back with a tweet I barely understand. I COULD BE MAD BUT GOSH ILY,” one said.
“You can touch your face all you want if you remember to use sanitizer after touching ANY surface. Also, hand washing is nice, but meaningless after you have touched surfaces. Think like a surgeon scrubbing in for a case. You are contaminated the second you touch anything,” someone who took the tweet very literally added.
So far, there have been 95,265 reported cases of the Coronavirus worldwide, and 3,281 people have died from the virus. The WHO’s director-general, Tedros Adhanom, talked about the need to take every effort to combat the disease.
“This epidemic can be pushed back, but only with a collective, coordinated and comprehensive approach that engages the entire machinery of government,” he said. “We are calling on every country to act with speed, scale and clear-minded determination.”
“We’re concerned that some countries have either not taken this seriously enough, or have decided there’s nothing they can do,” he added. “We are concerned that in some countries the level of political commitment and the actions that demonstrate that commitment do not match the level of the threat we all face.”
The CDC has been urging people to wash their hands frequently to help lessen chances of getting the virus.
“Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing; going to the bathroom; and before eating or preparing food. If soap and water are not readily available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol, covering all surfaces of your hands and rubbing them together until they feel dry.
“Soap and water are the best option if hands are visibly dirty. Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.” the CDC site reads.